What's a good-looking young girl like you doing with a weird old guy like him? And what's up with the tongue-ring?
Norah O'Donnell all but asked the first question of Elizabeth Kucinich this afternoon, and did ask the second one.
View video here.
The MSNBC anchor scored a nice little scoop at about 3:47 PM EDT this afternoon with what was billed as the first extended cable-news interview of Elizabeth Kucinich, wife of presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) O'Donnell proceeded to grill Elizabeth with some highly personal questions.
Norah wasted no time in trying to figure out what the willowy Elizabeth could possibly have seen in Dennis.
NORAH O'DONNELL: Dennis Kucinich is running for president and he is a five-foot-seven-inch veteran [read "old"] congressman who although consistently coming in at the bottom of the polls is very popular among young people. At his side, his running mate, Elizabeth Kucinich, a 31-year old, six-foot tall, red-haired Brit . . . How did you meet Dennis Kucinich?
ELIZABETH KUCINICH: It was my second week in America, at a meeting on monetary policy, meeting with several different people in Washington. Had an eight-minute meeting, and I just knew as soon as I met Dennis that he was my husband.
O'DONNELL: It is interesting [read "bizarre'] though, when people hear about it. You met him and were married to him within three months?
KUCINICH: Yes. We were engaged the second time that we met. I didn't even know what political party he belonged to and he knew nothing about me, but we just knew -- it was like a soulmate.
Norah continued to bore in.
O'DONNELL: What did you know, when you met him. I mean, second date, that you knew that you wanted to be married to him?KUCINICH [with a pleasant giggle]: He was my man! I mean really, eight-minute meeting on monetary policy and just as soon as I met him I knew. I saw him and knew that he was the one.
Elizabeth obviously wasn't rising to Norah's bait, and so O'Donnell became more explicit in her challenge.
O'DONNELL: I mean I ask you that because I pointed out, Dennis Kucinich has been in Congress for a long time, and he's almost twice your age. I mean he's known in Washington as kind of a policy wonk, and you are obviously very beautiful. It seems to some people sort of an unusual match.
Elizabeth's ingenuous response couldn't have been more disarming.
KUCINICH: Well, I love him to bits in every single way. I love his mind, I love his work. I love everything about him. And I did from the second I met him. He has an incredible presence which is very . . . special.
A bit later:
O'DONNELL: America has had a tradition of having very traditional First Ladies [like Hillary Rodham Clinton?] You would be the youngest First Lady ever if your husband were elected president. You have a tongue ring! What about that?KUCINICH [with a good-natured chuckle]: What about that?
O'DONNELL: Well, it's very unusual. I don't know that there are many political spouses who have tongue rings.
KUCINICH: Well, I'm 30 years old and I've had it for ten years. So I don't see it as being a problem. I do still wear pearls [touching the necklace she had on].
Did O'Donnell violate Elizabeth's zone of personal privacy?
If the answer is 'no,' and this was just good journalism, would O'Donnell ever dare pose similar questions to leading candidates or their spouses? For example, Norah found it in-bounds to wonder what Elizabeth saw in Dennis. Could you ever imagine O'Donnell asking Hillary or Bill what the dashing man-about-Yale saw in the girl with thick glasses?
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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Oh honestly, what does
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:24 ET by WhoIsJohnGaltOh honestly, what does anyone care about that loon, Kucinich anyway? Speaking of him as a presidential candidate, I mean.
And this guy has the nerve to question the mental stability of the POTUS? Kucinich, the guy who brought pie charts and other visual aids to a radio interview?
Questioning POTUS mental stability
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 18:38 ET by ThisnThatYeah, here's what that lunatic Kucinich actually said about the President: "There's a lot of people who need care. He might be one of them. If there isn't something wrong with him, then there's something wrong with us".
The last phrase "then there's something wrong with us" hits home at Kucinich, without him even realizing it. You bet your life there's something wrong with you, Kucinich.
And what's that about, bringing pie charts and other visual aids to a radio interview? Hadn't heard that before, but it fits.
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I notice that MSNBC stupidly
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:25 ET by Dave659I notice that MSNBC stupidly put an apostrophe before the "s" to make the plural of Kucinich in their on-screen background.
I saw the interview...I
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:26 ET by bigtimerI saw the interview...I liked her responses to Norah it had me laughing...just like the great picture you have of Hillary before her many make-overs over the years and the great question you posed Mark...
Of course the answer to the question is a resounding NO!
Quite frankly I thought it was rude of Norah to ask some of the questions she did, in the tone she did.... but Elizabeth handled her like a pro.
I came away with respect and
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:28 ET by Mark FinkelsteinI came away with respect and affection for Elizabeth Kucinich, whom I had not previously seen in action. Old and weird as I am, I'd hope there'd be a woman who'd go to bat for me that way ;-)
Mark,I like her too, it
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:47 ET by bigtimerMark,
I like her too, it was the first time I have heard her interviewed...
My favorite line back to her was 'I do still wear pearls'...
In other words Norah...'I can walk and chew gum at the same time you doofus'....
Women can cut to the quick with a smile on their face while doing so....and she did to Norah during the whole interview, masterfully....lol.
It was pretty disgusting how they sexualized her
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:37 ET by Daniel Bakeron a daily show segment i just watched. I wish she would sue that show.
Evangelicals for Mitt
hehe, engaged after the
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:49 ET by MightyMouthhehe, engaged after the second date eh? Obvioulsy there is more to crazy Dennis than meets the eye!
I'm not sure the Billary comparison stands up as I think the main focus here was age and not looks. IMO. Also everyone has seen Billary together soooo much that it's too late in the game to wonder what they saw in each other.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
" I'm not sure the Billary
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:53 ET by Mark Finkelstein" I'm not sure the Billary comparison stands up as I think the main focus here was age and not looks."
Sorry, but I can't agree. Note how she refers to their height difference, her red hair and then flatly calls her "very beautiful." I don't think there's any doubt that she was making an invidious physical comparison.
That's right, she mentioned
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:56 ET by motherbeltThat's right, she mentioned the age, the wonk thing, and then went into how beautiful Elizabeth is.
Mighty... hehe, engaged
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 17:01 ET by bigtimerMighty...
hehe, engaged after the second date eh? Obvioulsy there is more to crazy Dennis than meets the eye!
LOL...I didn't want to go there...but here is some more about Dennis, may have met her in the 'Twilight Zone'....ya' never know.
You can scroll down to the UFO stuff.... this is Pat Dollard's site.
BT, you know you can always
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 22:46 ET by MightyMouthBT, you know you can always count on me to "go there"....it's part of my ..err..um... charm :-)
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
you are obviously very
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:59 ET by motherbeltyou are obviously very beautiful. It seems to some people sort of an unusual match.
It seems "to some people"?????
I can't wait for her to interview Jeri Thompson!
Elizabeth Kucinich, although she will never be First Lady, is definitely a class act!
Yes, true
Wed, 10/31/2007 - 18:24 ET by celatorIt's interesting that such a question would be rattling around in her head in the first place. The question says a lot more about the inner life of Norah than she would like us to know.
Maybe I should re-open up my psychotherapy practice. ;+}
gasp
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 16:56 ET by hordogI don't EVER want to hear anymore b*chin' about Fred Thompson's 'trophy' wife....
If a greasy little elvin weasle like kooksinich can score a hottie like that...maybe I DO have a shot with that 'ATF' t-shirt wearin' cutie after all.....naaaahhhhhh...prolly not into fat guys with no money....sigh....
Actually, hordog, the girl
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 17:00 ET by Mark FinkelsteinActually, hordog, the girl in the "I survived Roe v. Wade" t-shirt has been bombarding me with requests to put her in touch with you. But naturally I've respected your privacy ;-)
Mark, privacy schmivacy,
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 18:36 ET by hordogMark, privacy schmivacy, hook a brotha up!!
An open note to all:
You have the expressed written consent of myself and Major League Baseball to divulge all of my personal information (with the exception of weight and current bank account balance), including phone number and personal lingerie preferance (on her, not me) to any of the t-shirt models on this page. (unless someone posts a picture of Hillary or Helen Thomas wearing a t-shirt, then all bets are off) (I profusely appologize for planting the picture of Helen Thomas in a t-shirt into your mind, it was unintentional and totally oogs me out too)
Strange brew of blogs
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 17:47 ET by Lame CherryJust because Mrs. K knows how to handle a Norah appears to have a new fan club here without one person realizing that Ted Bundy was quite intelligent, conversational and charming too.
I have never cared about age, looks, intelligence or silence in a happy couple, but in experiencing too often test cases and people I know in profiling women who marry Donald Trump are marrying a wide range of strengths to make up for their inner weaknesses.
Let us be honest in this and not Oprah awayed in "oh how great of job she did" when the fact comes out this woman would not have given the time of day to Dennis if he was greasy Goober Pyle in Mayberry Hickland.
Instinct at logical deduction is this "wife" married a homely old man, because she did not want to deal with loosing a good looking man as is probably her oft repeated liberal past.
She married an old man to make up for lost daddy issues and married an old man with money and power to "take care of her".
In most cases none of this is a match made in heaven as once Dennis gets voted out office and the prestige is gone.........well viagra overdoses just only last about 6 months before Dennis gets voted out of bed and a lawyer shows up soaking daddy for a lifetime of money supply as the now 30 plus something girly has daddy paying her to have sex with other males.
This is frequent in the abandonment of girls. Hugh Hefner finds bushels of these gals looking for attention in exchange for the unvirtue of an old feller.
I will not put this all on her as even in a Donald Trump case study, he simply likes European chics who are young and dumps them when they get past 40.
Dennis would have his issues too, but it explains the gravy train ride he has been hawking for the presidential run.......he is trying to make up for "him" with his wife by being someone better than Dennis.
If the marriage is by God then God bless them, but I have yet to see a liberal aborticide advocate who has God involved in their lives.
Therefore the logical conclusion is while the harp strings play in new fans in this blog this is a disaster in the making as it is a contract built out of 2 people's canyon like weaknesses.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Oh My Goodness! Talk
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 17:56 ET by stratmanOh My Goodness! Talk about coincidences. And just after reading this post too.
I just saw on TV a commercial for LazyBoy which features a couple looking for a sofa. The woman is a very tall redheaded giraffe and the man is a very short, brown-haired homely troll.
If this commercial is being shown primarily in the Cleveland area it may not be coincidence at all. How funny!
Killing them with kindness isn't working. Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.
I couldn't care less for
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 21:41 ET by mostlymoderateI couldn't care less for Kucinich or his wife; HOWEVER, who the hell is NORAH O'DONNELL?!?! Could that porker be any more RUDE in her interview? Hillary Clinton wants to turn America into the old Soviet Union and Norah O'Donnell is worried about Kucinich's wife and her tongue ring?? Geez...the media in this country is SO out of touch. I personally find Kucinichs' wife quite beautiful; more power to him.